Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?

[IAMICHABOD]

While researching these pages for my next Motor Home I saw a few threads discussing Rentals, most were Pros and Cons but very few posts from people who had purchased one.

I thought it may be a good resource and helpful to hear from these people. The good, the bad, what they liked and what they didn’t. Also if they had any problems, things they changed, if they would recommend this to others or do it again.

Here is my story: I am not a novice, having owned a Class A for more than 15 years and doing the camping thing with my wife and two daughters, I can say “been there done that” But life changes, and I sold everything so I have been away from this for several years. Starting over I lurked here for a while and got a lot of good insight then went looking.

My criteria was: A Class C within by budget, less than 30 feet so I can keep it at home, saving storage $, a rear bed, and a lot of storage space.

What fit that was Winnebago, Fleetwood and a few others, what I found mostly was Jamboree / Tioga 26Q. In the year models 2002 thru 2006. I did my home work looking at NADA and other sites to find the fair prices for the models that I was looking for.

After several months of searching the internet, Craigslist, private ads and Dealerships for a Class C that suited my budget and needs, this is what I found. Of the dozen or so I inquired about.Most were upsidedown in their payments, owing more than they were worth. All were on Ford Chassis, 7 needed tires, all had the original 7 to 10 year old tires, and they all needed repair of the awning and most needed some work inside or out and the maintenance records were sketchy, but most had low mileage. The Dealerships offerings were better but they had a profit margin to maintain so I got older models within my budget or huge up sales that didn’t work for me.

My next step was looking at the rental market for sales. In my area there are 2 large companies that have rental sales, Cruise America and El Monte RV,who also sell Class A RVs.

First up was El Monte RV Their units are production RVs that are made by major manufactures, with TV antennas and hookups inside and out, Ducted A/C and heat, 2 house batteries, a rear ladder and parts are readily available from those manufacture’s. I looked at their web site and it detailed their warranty and what was checked and serviced by their factory trained technicians. The unit I looked at was like new inside, the upholstery on all the seats was new as was the floor mat in the driver’s area, it had a new mattress, still in plastic and a new bedspread. All of the curtains were new also. Newer (2010 mfg date) tires with 98% rubber and the mileage was ninety thousand (90,000).

Then there was Cruise America: Their units that I looked at seemed to be Spartan,no TV antenna or hookups for one,non-ducted A/C,small counter space and only one battery, no rear ladder for inspection and maintenance of roof and built just for them, they were all “refreshed” their words not mine. They offered extended warranties at a huge cost. All had high mileage, one hundred and thirty thousand (130,000) or more and the price range seemed a little high. The sales staff had a take it or leave it attitude and were not very forthcoming when asked about maintenance records and service,they claim to have proprietary info in those records,It doesn't seem to be a problem for El Monte RV.

At El Monte RV I took a test ride; This Unit was a 2006 Tioga 26Q on a Chevrolet Chassis it rode
Drove and handled much better than the Fords that I had driven. It also had more leg room and was quieter. We got back and I asked about the service and maintenance on it, the salesman, Joey, handed me a 28 page single spaced document asked if I wanted some coffee or something to drink and said “read this and if you have any questions I will answer them”.

It detailed everything that was done before and after each rental, the mileage, generator hours and hours billed. Each time it was washed and detailed inside and outside, all fluids were checked and replenished if needed, the holding tanks were washed, LP system was checked for leaks, all torque on wheel lugs were checked, brakes front and rear checked for wear and cracks, pressure in tires, all appliances, generator oil, lights inside and outside, the list goes on and on.

It also listed all oil changes,coolant change,trans service,fuel injector service and cleaning,fuel filters,air filter, new brakes, all repairs and replacements all with date, mileage and time spent in complete detail from day one to when it was pulled from the rental fleet and was refurbished. I have a complete service record on this vehicle.Also the service records on the Onan Generator,all oil changes,air filter and spark plug replacement with hours and date. I negotiated a good deal with them and am very happy with my purchase.

It came with a 1 yr. 12000 mile power train warranty and 30 day on all appliances. It also came with a 28 page maintenance record that detailed everything. Also the original sales packet from Fleetwood with the manual and serial numbers on all appliances,refrigerator, microwave,furnace, AC, water heater, etc. and the manual for the Chassis. I have had no problems with it so far.

(ON EDIT) 5 Years and close to 14000 miles.Just Scheduled Maintenance and new tires,old ones were at the 5 year mark and I wanted new Michelin LTX M/S2s.

There were a few things that it didn’t have as it was a rental and the ones from private parties did have.
• Power steps, outside Stereo/CD don’t need or want them.
• An Awning, this I wanted and had installed. A Swivel Seat and a new Window in The Door that I installed.
• Wheel Simulators, I like the looks so I had them installed and at the same time had Tire Man valve stem kit put on.
• Replaced the Chinese WFCO with a US Made converter/charger
• It came with mini blinds and not the day/night that most have, these are more practical and have a lot less failure.

• It also came with Stainless Steel sinks,easier to maintain than the cheap plastic ones that come in the noncommercial units.
  

I am very happy with my Rig, it suites my needs and it was in my Budget range, I think I got a good deal.

So if you bought a rental please share your experience here for others to use as a resource.
Or if there are any other questions that have not been covered in these pages, just ask, there are many helpful people on this thread.

[IAMICHABOD]

Sullyd61 welcome back,it's great to hear that all went well on the inspection and all goes well as things go forward.Congratulations on your purchase.

I will add you to the list of Former Rental Owners on the forum ,you will be #134

Please come on back and tell us all how it went.

[TwistedGray]

Sullyd61 wrote:
Driving to VA. To pickup 28a inspection went well ,1 minor issue shower door rollers out of track. Anyone have any problem receiving title from CA they say 30 -45 days (why so long?) they give you a Temp plate But my state doesn’t recognize Temp plates (MA) . Hopefully all goes well!

Titles are held at corporate I think (Mesa, AZ). It's a process...try waiting 3+ months for plates and/or registration (still waiting).

[Hoerschel]

While checking the interior of my 2015 Majestic 28a last week I heard beeping and discovered it was my dual carbon monoxide / propane gas alarm. Upon closer inspection, the flashing lights indicated the unit had reached the end of its useful life and needed replacing. An inscription on the face plate also directed the device be replaced after 5 years of service. Just an FYI for other former rental owners to be aware. Cost to replace is appproximately $75. I bought mine online through Camping World with a $15 coupon.

[Sullyd61]

Driving to VA. To pickup 28a inspection went well ,1 minor issue shower door rollers out of track. Anyone have any problem receiving title from CA they say 30 -45 days (why so long?) they give you a Temp plate But my state doesn’t recognize Temp plates (MA) . Hopefully all goes well!

[SJ-Chris]

SJ-Chris wrote:
*** Power Surge Protection ***

I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.

What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.

Specifically, as it pertains to Cruise America former rental units....I wonder something... Cruise America sends out 1000s and 1000s of renters every year and NOT ONE of them has a surge protector! Why not? Is it because in reality they aren't needed? Do you think Cruise America has their RVs built with some sort of built-in surge protection?? Do GFCI circuits protect against surges?? Just want to hear the thoughts of other CA formal rental owners...

Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?

Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.

Thoughts?
-Chris

Cruise America....the largest RV renter in the world(?)....sends out 1000s and 1000s of inexperienced RVers every year plugging in to every campsite imaginable, and not one of them goes out with a surge protector. If it was an issue that happened on any regularity, it seems like they would have surge protectors built into their Majestics (....I'm guessing if you buy 1000 RVs from Thor you could likely have them install a built in surge protector for much less than the $200-250 it would cost to buy one off the shelf). The fact that they don't seems to indicate it's not a problem, right?

Just for fun, I just called CA rentals and asked them about the need for surge protectors if I'm renting one of their units. The person didn't even know what I was talking about, and said nobody has ever asked about the need for surge protection before when renting. Yes, it's anecdotal but thought it was interesting.

It certainly can't hurt to use a surge protector...just not sure if it is really needed. Maybe another way of looking at this is risk vs cost... Let's assume the cost of a decent surge protector (aka power manager/hookup) is $250. What are the ODDS that you are going to have your electronics fried due to bad power or a surge at a campsite if not using your surge protector? 1 in 10? 1 in 100? Let's call it 1 in 50. (I personally don't know a single person that it's happened to, but I don't know that many RVers). Then let's take a guess at what the "cost" would be associated with bad power or a surge... Blown AC/Microwave/Fridge motherboard/TV/DVD/Converter? I'm just trying to think of all the major 120v electrical items in a typical Former Rental. If you had to replace ALL of those items it would likely cost you $3000-$5000. Let's assume that on average you wouldn't even need to replace ALL of your electronics and let's say half of them get blown. So you are looking at an expense of ~$2000. If the odds of that happening are 1 in 50, then paying $250 for the surge protector doesn't seem like the right thing to do if you are just going by a risk vs cost analysis. Maybe this is inherently why most RVers do not bother with a surge protector? Thoughts?

Note: As a Former Rental owner, we are talking about fairly basic RVs that only cost $25,000 - $40,000 to purchase/outfit. If I owned a $100,000 or $250,000 RV with WAY more expensive electrical stuff that could get damaged then it would be a no-brainer to get a great surge protector/power management hookup. This discussion is as it pertains to Formal Rental units which is why I posted it here to hear people's thoughts.

Happy Camping!
Chris

[Bea_PA]

Some years ago we were camped at Lake Louise State campground in FL. We and our friends next door had surge protectors, his protected his rig with no damage to the protector, our protector was fried while protecting our rig. Across the street, the camp host , who did not have protection on his pusher lost ALL his electronics. We even have one left over from our last pusher on lil rig. In 2007 we spent 3 months in Canada and Alaska. At Whistler the power was so high our autoformer would shut down, the campers around us were all using their generators as we did after the hi power warnings were issued. We also were saved from an open ground at 1 time so if you are more than a weekend warrior at some time you may run into a problem.

[Dusty_R]

Zachcycles,

Glad to hear you testify.

I've been retired for 20 years as an electrician from the constriction industry.

We have had 3 mh from 1988 and never had/used a surge protector power monitor. I will admit that we seldom go to a camp ground where there is a place to plug in.

Also we get fresh water where we can and have never used a water filter. Also we do not use bottled water.


Dusty

[zachcycles]

SJ-Chris wrote:
*** Power Surge Protection ***

I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.

What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.


Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?

Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.

Thoughts?
-Chris

Well I'll tell ya... I have the same thoughts... that said I own one, that also said... I rarely use it. I have a degree in electronics and semi-skilled in electrical and I need to put it out that the devices we are talking about are power monitors that depending on model protect or inform about many things. Surge protection is only one on the list yet the name for them has become generic sorta like Kleenex for facial tissue. Surges are really not that big of a problem out there... it happens but other things are very common. I suppose areas that are prone to electrical storms may be an exception... anyway, the most common things run along the lines of miswired or faulty systems. Open neutral, reversed hot and neutral, bad ground... to a lesser extent over and under-voltage. I carry a simple cheap circuit tester that via 3 indicator lamp combination tests for the common miswired outlets... that is what I find most often and worry about the most. But here's the thing... my ol former Camping World rental is nice but basic, no inverter, no fancy jacks or control centers... If I had one of these new fancy push button rigs out there, I'd probably want and use protection. Final thought is that I don't think power monitors are used all that much... like most things you only hear of the ones that do, and mostly of those it is the ones the power monitor saved the day. With out fail the usual response to your type question is, you gonna die without one... And I won't argue that! But yeah... beyond my simple el cheapo test for proper wiring... I probably will still rarely use my fancy one.

[SJ-Chris]

*** Power Surge Protection ***

I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.

What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.

Specifically, as it pertains to Cruise America former rental units....I wonder something... Cruise America sends out 1000s and 1000s of renters every year and NOT ONE of them has a surge protector! Why not? Is it because in reality they aren't needed? Do you think Cruise America has their RVs built with some sort of built-in surge protection?? Do GFCI circuits protect against surges?? Just want to hear the thoughts of other CA formal rental owners...

Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?

Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.

Thoughts?
-Chris

[TwistedGray]

cencerrita wrote:

TwistedGray wrote:
Vehicle: (2015) 2017 Majestic 19G

Problem: The coach battery only powers the 120v outlets when the RV is connected to shore power or when/if the generator is running.

Question: Does anyone know what would have to be done to have it so that I can utilize the coach's battery without being plugged in or having the generator running? If someone has a wiring diagram for this model, that would be great.


I am looking into adding a secondary battery bank; however, based on our power requirements I think I could get away with just tapping into the coach's battery for outlet power and recharging the battery when in motion (or using the generator). I do not need constant power from the coach battery, but I would like to tap into it without having to dump $500-750 in battery gear (or running the generator).

Hi
Finding it frustrating that I can not post a small size photo from my computer:(
1.Ok the cheapeast and easiet way is to buy an inverter. We brought a full sine wave 1000w inverter which was bigger than the power we intended to want, so as not to overload.
2. Fitted just above the main battery locker and used 2 cables the same size as the main battery cables to join battery to invertor. This required 2 drill holes in the floor.
3.Hole cut out in the panel next to the invertor for direct access to 110V and 12V oulet socket on inverter. The inverter had 2 x 110V socket.
4. As required we plugged into these outlets, including a short extension lead sometimes.
5. This means the system is totally seperate from your house 110V sockets and you never have to worry about the 2 systems shorting out.

We ran no problem from this using laptop, fans, keybpoard, charging phones etc whilst boondocking. Even at Lake Mead for 14 days in 100F in the summer.

USB sockets
1.Buy ones with 2.1A and 1A outlet on them (Amazon/ebay). make sure they have a mounting back plate as wellUSB socket
2. Remove a 12v light and pull through existing 12v light cable.
3.Join cables to this and then to the usb outlets you fit, having fed the cables back up the light hole to your USB outlet position.
4. Refit light.
5. Suggest also fitting on/off switch next to usb if they have a blue power LED light with them. This stops the glow at night and the small power consumption when in storage.
you will find lots of info in the Owners Essential RV Handbook on Amazon

This is VERY helpful, and if you have photos you can share of you documenting the process and/or photos after the fact (like now) showing where things are that would be great.

I have an electrician friend coming up next week to do some house work, and I've been talking with him about "fixing" this issue with the RV.

Feel free to email me at skionic at yahoo dot com

[TwistedGray]

wandajo123 wrote:
I'm contemplating buying a Cruise America 23A Thor Majestic. Is the pricing pretty firm to the price listed on their website or did anyone on this form negotiate a better price with them? I see they are baseing their pricing on mileage mostly. Thanks!

Yes, their prices are mileage based, and no, there is no wiggle room in the prices.

[TwistedGray]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
The only thing I could find is when you asked before and fadumpt answered

Yeah, I do remember that...thanks. I forgot who responded!

The issue that I've unearthed is that I do not have the power/ground access that they have. They noted, "There is a power block and ground block in that space and we tapped in to that."

In the 19G, the only electrical under the seat that is accessible is for the water pump, I believe, and the Co2 detector. I don't have main power/ground access.

[wandajo123]

I'm contemplating buying a Cruise America 23A Thor Majestic. Is the pricing pretty firm to the price listed on their website or did anyone on this form negotiate a better price with them? I see they are baseing their pricing on mileage mostly. Thanks!

[eldel]

quasimatter wrote:


I have a solar charge controller installed already. But this it seems requires a DC-DC charge controller (another $200 or so). Just wondering if I can simply disconnect alternator to house battery charging mechanism for now.

I suspect (and I use that word carefully) that as long as the solar panels are the only power source and the controller is calibrated to the optimum late charge rates then you might be OK. But really - you're spending $1K on a battery and risking it. If the overall cost is too high why not just replace it with a traditional item. They're about 20% of the cost (or less on occasion) and you don't have to alter anything else.

I'm doing mine to increase the storage capacity 3x and leaving headroom in the system for more - but that's because we're intending to spend more time either boondocking or on basic state park sites and we don't want to run the generator. If it's just a like-for-like function I'm not sure I'd spend the extra.

[quasimatter]

eldel wrote:

quasimatter wrote:
Trying to replace standard AGM battery (which is dead) with LiFePO4 battery on my CA Majestic 28A.

Anyone know the location of alternator diode/solenoid so I can simply disconnect it (or put in a current limiter or a switch)???

I looked at this and heard from multiple people (who I'm sure know more than I) to put a proper charge controller in. The LiFePO4s are expensive things to blow up by overcharging. I looked at it some more and decided to get the local shop to put one in as part of a solar install.

I have a solar charge controller installed already. But this it seems requires a DC-DC charge controller (another $200 or so). Just wondering if I can simply disconnect alternator to house battery charging mechanism for now.